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There is no doubt that staging your home for sale can be a significant cost you may not have accounted for when looking to sell your home. At an investment of $700 - $6,000 (depending on the size and scope of your property) is it really worth the time and expense? Does it really make a difference? Absolutely!Here are 7 reasons why you should stage your house before you try to sell it.

1. You’ll Increase the Likelihood of a Sale

When selling your home, the goal is to sell it fast and for the highest possible price. Staging is a key to making this happen. By presenting your home in the best possible light, it will come across as well maintained, be incredibly attractive to buyers and prompt them to make an offer quickly rather than miss out.

2. Staging Helps You Justify the Asking Price

When it comes to Property Values, today’s home buyers are more informed and savvy than ever. If you stage your house before you try to sell it, you’ll have an easier time justifying the price.

Granted, you still need to determine the fair market value for your home. But they’ll also be influenced by their emotions. If they walk through the house and see a number of things that need to be repaired or replaced, they may balk at your asking price — even if the data is in your favor. If the house appears move-in ready, they will be more likely to accept the price you have set.

3. Staging Makes the House Seem Larger

The art of home staging has a lot to do with space. You want to remove clutter and arrange furniture in a way that maximizes usable space within the house. This gives the impression that the home is larger than it actually is. Your professional Home Stylist will pay close attention to the “flow” of each room to create maximum space… especially for buyers at a busy Open Inspection.

When the staging is completed, you may be surprised at how large your house seems all of a sudden. This is a common reaction among homeowners, and it’s a positive reaction among potential buyers.

4. Suddenly, Every Room Has a Purpose

Buyers should never have to guess the purpose of a room. Most of us have a certain room in the house that serves multiple purposes. I’m guilty of this myself. We have a room that’s used as a Home Office/TV room.

But I’m not selling my house. I’m living in it. If I were going to stage my house for home buyers, I would give this room a singular purpose. I would convert this to a well sized fourth bedroom, showing the versatility of the home’s floorplan.

You might think a room’s purpose is obvious, even if you’re not currently using the room in that manner. But some people have limited vision when it comes to the subject. They may truly be confused about the purpose of a room if it’s not staged properly. It’s almost like taking rooms off the list entirely. Did that house have two family living spaces? Or did it have one family room plus an ambiguous storage area with an exercise bike in the corner? You don’t want buyers asking these kinds of questions.

5. Staging Helps Buyers See Themselves In the House

As a seller, your job is to help people see themselves living in your home. You do this by “de-personalizing” the house, removing family photos and certificates. This allows the buyers to see the house as a good fit for their family.

The same goes for taste-specific decorating choices. Unusual paint colors and exotic knickknacks are fine when you are living in the home. But when you’re trying to sell it, you need to neutralize the decor. When you stage your house, you’re essentially removing yourself so that others may insert themselves. This in turn supports item number #1 on this list — it increases the likelihood of a sale.

6. It Puts Your House above the Competition

As a seller, you have competition. You can bet that would-be home buyers have seen other houses before visiting yours, and that they’ll see more when they leave. What makes your house stand out from the rest?

When you get down to it, there are only two ways to distinguish your home. You can price it below the competition or make it seem like a nicer home. If you do neither of these things, your house will probably be on the market for a long time. Staging can make all the difference in the world, even if your home is priced the same as comparable properties that are for sale. You are giving the appearance of better value. This is the key to selling anything – whether it’s a house or a toaster!

7. Buyers Will Have a Favorable First Impression

You’ve heard the phrase “curb appeal” before. This is the positive first impression people get when they pull up to your home. But you can’t achieve curb appeal unless you stage the house effectively. Staging doesn’t just occur on the inside. It happens on the outside as well.

You want buyers to be impressed with the property before they even step foot inside. It’s hard to overcome a bad first impression, even if the inside of the house is in prime condition. If you stage the house well, you’ll improve the exterior as well as the interior.